Salary Cap would help Major League Baseball

APThe Philles won a compelling World Series this year, but a salary cap in Major League Baseball would help create more quality champions.

When the Philadelphia Phillies captured the World Series with a 4-3 win over Tampa Bay Rays Wednesday, they became the eighth team in the past nine years to accomplish the feat.

Since baseball is the only major sport without a salary cap, and with the way baseball's big-spending teams throw around money, having a different winner each year seems to defy logic.

On the other hand, with the three-division setup and the wild card, it makes more sense since it allows teams that are not powerhouses to win in a sport where the playing field suddenly becomes relatively even in the postseason.

For example, this year's Phils won only 92 games, as did Arizona in 2001. Florida captured 91 in 2003, while St. Louis won only 83 in '06. The '03 Marlins and '04 Red Sox were wild-card winners.

However, while different teams have been winning in baseball, you would expect the same in salary-cap sports. But since the turn of the century, that hasn't proven true.

In the NFL, where people cry "parity" almost every year, the New England Patriots won three Super Bowls in four years and almost did it again last year.

In the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs won three titles each this decade, although you can say that's the product of playing with a superstar or two.

The NHL has seen the Detroit Red Wings and New Jersey Devils win two Stanley Cups apiece.

Interestingly, the most dominant individual male athletes so far this century come in golf and tennis, where there are scores of competitors from around the world. Of course, Tiger Woods has won a host of titles and 14 major golf championships, while Roger Federer -- although he has a competitive foe in Rafael Nadal -- also owns a ton of singles titles and 13 grand slam titles.

Funny thing is I'd like to see the salary cap in baseball, and the return to four divisions/playoff teams.

You might still see different winners every year, but those winners would be better-quality champions than we've seen in recent years because the regular season would mean that much more, and you'd need more wins to earn a spot. And a team like the Rays could stay intact and have their shot at a dynasty.

Salary-cap sports have proven you can still have quality clubs of near-dynasty level while keeping a competitive balance.

As for individual sports, it's actually great to have a one-man dynasty because it keeps things compelling. You want to see someone go after a Woods or Federer, and you appreciate the high drama of one of their winning shots at key moments or someone beating them under pressure.